Kathleen Battle sings "Je veux vivre" from Gounod's Roméo et Juliette

Kathleen Battle and the Montréal Symphony Orchestra with conductor Charles Dutoit. Gala concert, 1994.

[@lemonarizonatea]

Honestly, Kathleen Battle is the only professional I’ve heard who has the light and delicate tone this song really needs to shine. Don’t get me wrong, the others are good in their own right. But this is supposed to be light and easy and fun. Kathleen floats through every second of this.

[@jondavwal13]

Listen to Sutherland’s version from the Art of the Prima Donna sung a whole tone higher than this in the original key, which nobody else does. Battle was amazing and responsible for some of my greatest nights at the opera but she is second best here.

[@MiyLei]

The utter perfection of her voice. The way her vibrato doesn't push her outside of notes. So many versions I've heard where they dance on the line of on pitch and flat or sharp. Beautiful in their own right, but hers is one of the ones that I will listen to and just enjoy and not a moment passes where I can critique or cringe. I simply disappear in her voice

[@GianBLima]

God, was everything this woman sang perfect?

[@buckyball59]

***** yep

[@BellaFirenze]

No.

[@GianBLima]

@@BellaFirenze what, for example?

[@BellaFirenze]

@@GianBLima Non parlo inglese. Mi dispiace molto.

[@GianBLima]

@@BellaFirenze ma, allora, perché dici di “No”?

[@ChagoWilson]

Happy 72nd Anniversary Of Life August 13, 2020 Our Dearest Soprano, Kathleen Battle

[@VoiceVirtuoso]

perfection personified

[@ChagoWilson]

Happy 69th Anniversary of Life, today, August 13, 2017, Dearest Ms. Kathleen Battle !!

[@delibeslakme6451]

Fantástica soprano ligera al igual que Sumí Jo. Bellísimo timbre.

[@pablodejesus8172]

Mermerizing ever... Pure, fresh but with body. The post deserves to sinc the vídeo and áudio... video is a little bit ahead

[@productioninquiries881]

She was still singing this at 51. Mind-boggling. Brava!

[@lintopa]

WOW! Show them how it's done KB.

[@nadideelmas6652]

Fantastic ♥️🍾

[@annaattanasio9263]

Perfetto +++++++++bellissima interpretazione

[@jemboydumagno3033]

Very nice your voice congrats

[@kristinsireciify]

I think she has a beautiful voice but i feel as if she “sings inside the mouth” and if she opened and sang forward her sound would be absolutely divine. Don’t get me wrong she is wonderful but i just think she limited her high note resonance by “covering”

[@rosalindhershkovitz4390]

whatever she does right or wrong, to me she is the most beautiful exponent of this with the possible exception of Anna Netrebko - though I didn't hear all perhaps

[@misscameroon8062]

Kristin,you always say what you think,even if you don`t know what you`re talking about? If Ms Opened her mouth the way you wanted her ,then we would not neither like what came out or hear it at all....so just listen and enjoy;turn off your thinking...I promise more pleasure...

[@orion8835]

It’s mainly my because the voice at core is very harp like...so without the cover it would just be very thin. This was her best resonance really that a soubrette like Battles’ instrument could create.

[@jemboydumagno3033]

Very nice your voice congrats

[@nabucco46]

Una delizia

[@massimomascelli7308]

Graziosa voce

[@FoggyRoad81]

I swear, she really got her ish together in 1994, she seemed to want to prove to everyone that she wasn't fired because Marie was wrong for her voice. The voice is richer and better projected than it was in some other early 90s performances. In fact 94 and 96 were great years for her, after that...more dicey.

[@baritoneblazzin1965]

I don't know what you mean by Marie being "wrong for her voice". I have the private recording of it San Francisco Opera 1993, and she sang the role just fine. I do agree however, that she was at her finest in voice between 94-96. I could only have imagined what she could have done operatically at that point of her career. It is interesting that after Battle was fired from the MET, they replaced her with Harolyn Blackwell (which was Battle's understudy during the time of the upcoming 1994 La Fille Du Regiment at the MET -who does have the Pure coloratura sound that people associate the role of Marie with.

[@PensadorProfundo42]

@@baritoneblazzin1965 Unfortunately, Blackwell was really badly reviewed. One of the reviews said 'A star is born? Definitely no.', very harsh stuff.

[@BellaFirenze]

@@baritoneblazzin1965 It was Battle who said that.

[@jeremygwynn]

Jesus.

[@FoggyRoad81]

@Babs22h LOL yup thogh i spend more time on parterre.com these days.

[@biranc23]

Did you hear Roberta Peters playing this?

[@lunetelalune2783]

I can't watch her it's painful but it's one of the most beautiful voices

[@rosalindhershkovitz4390]

what can't you watch?

[@DarellJHunt]

@FEARLESS I just screamed!! lmaooooo

[@TravisTHall]

@@DarellJHunt Yall play too much 🤣

[@janezamudio4940]

It's hard for me to watch, too. The sound and the action aren't in sync.

[@armongolliday9866]

@@janezamudio4940 I think more singers should employ some of those “actions”, and maybe they’d sound better than they do. Many singers have criticized KB for mouth movements, yet with the “proper” mouth placements, they’re unable to produce a sound anywhere near the pristine quality of KB’s.

[@ascendien]

me encanta esta aria

[@johnwettermark]

Great talent. What a shame that her prima donna tactics ruined her career.

[@bogofusion]

Her perfectionism done her in

[@numetutelare]

Bravina ma voce da zanzara e il timbro è leggermente vetroso.... Una ottima vocalista ma serve altro peso specifico per quest'aria...

[@mariomazzi7894]

Piace la voce di Moffo per quest'aria?

[@numetutelare]

@@mariomazzi7894 sicuramente meglio... timbro lucente, buona tecnica e senza essere una autentica belcantista piuttosto bene inserita nella parte... ovvio che è la mia opinione.

[@BellaFirenze]

A dress sang.